Compensating device



@LHMUH HUS!!! OR 2&3969056 SF? J. J. MOYNIHAN 2,396,056

CQMPENSATING DEVICE Fild April 1, 1942 March 5, 1946.

2 Sheets-Sheet l HOB II NTA L.

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QUADEQNTANGLE OF vemm'uaz INVENTOR. JOHN J. MOYN/HAN ',T" BY ATTO RNEXS March 5, 1946. J. J. MOYNIHAN COMPENSATING- DEVICE 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed April 1, 1942 V INVENTOR. BY JOHN J. No y/v/HAN 9&7

ATTORNEYG 66. htUMtHllbm. lNOl numuuo Patented Mar. 5, 1946 whitest hUUHl COMPENSATING DEVICE John J. Moynihan, Rochester, N. Y., assignor of one-half to Joseph B. Brennan, Cleveland,

Ohio

Application April 1,

7 Claims.

This invention relates as indicated to compensating devices, and more especially to apparatus designed for use in conjunction with a system for controlling the fire of artillery and the like such as that system to which my co-pending application Serial No. 429,897, filed February '7, 1942, relates.

In my said co-pending application I have pro vided a system whereby a proto-target may be manipulated with respect to a scale map of the terrain on which are located proto stations of detection and rojection apparatus, and such system contemplates the utilization at each such proto station of means whereby the azimuth and elevation of the proto-target may be coordinated with the azimuth and elevation of the projection or detection device located at the actual ground station to which it corresponds. When the projection device at the actual ground station which is sought to be coordinated with the prototype at the control station is a gun or other projectile device there must be some compensation for the deviation of the line of flight of the projectile from the actual line of sight. In other words, the actual elevation of the gun at which the same is fired will generally be different from the line of sight from the projection station to the target, as represented by a line joining the proto-target and the prototype of the projection station on the control map. 'There are several factors for which correction must be made in thus ensuring that the actual trajectory of the missile will pass through the position occupied by the target.

The two principal factors are respectively the elevation of the target above the horizontal plane occupied by the trajectory device, and the distance of the target from the trajectory device.

It is a principal object of this invention to provide means whereby these correction factors may be automatically applied in a system such as that comprising the subject matter of my aforesaid co-pending application, Serial No. 429,897.

From the ensuing description of such apparatus, it will become apparent, however, that the same has utility in fields other than that in connection with which it is specifically described.

Other objects of this invention will appea as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention then comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawings setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but 1942, Serial No. 437,254

a few of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing geometrically the problem which gives rise to the need of apparatus such as that forming the subject matter of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a geometric representation of the manner in which the use of the apparatus of this invention results in a solution of the problem presented;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of one embodiment of the apparatus comprising my invention;

Fi 4 is a side elevational view of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a part sectional view of the apparatus as illustrated in Fig. 3 taken on a plane substantially indicated by the line 5-5.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings and more especially to Figs. 1 and 2, I have represented in Fig. l the proto-polyhedron similar to the proto-polyhedron of Figs. 1, 2 and 4 of my said co-pending application, Serial No. 429,897. Such proto-polyhedron comprises a base in which the corners I, 2 and 3 are the prototypes of the stations occupied by the actual devices being coordinated, such as the detection and projection devices. The ordinal 4 is the apex or proto-target, and in this case it is assumed that the position corresponding to proto station 2 is occupied by the trajectory device such as the gun.

Let us assume that the plane of the base I 2, 3 lies in a horizontal plane, and the point 5 lies 1n a parallel horizontal plane below such base plane.

If the actual plane on th proto map or proto terrain is the same as that in which the point 2 as above identified lies, and if the projectile device be aimed or sighted at the position of the proto-- target, the drop in the trajectory will cause the missile to pass through a point below the target. But it now the proto-gun-station is depressed relative to the rest of the proto-polyhedron by an amount equal to the extent of such vertical displacement, then the projectile will pass through the target.

Thus the present invention is concerned with means whereby the proto-polyhedron is elevated above the datum plane of the proto map by an amount equal to the vertical deviation of the missile with respect to the target, so that the correction having been thus made in the proto-polyhedron, the missile will actually pass through the proto position of the target, and accordingly the shell fired by the gun will pass through the 56 space occupied by the actual target.

This is somewhat more clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 in which the point 2 is the point on the actual datum plane of the map. By compensating the proto position of the gun by an amount equal to the vertical drop of the projectile, i. e. by placing the proto position of the gun at 5, the line 8 or trajectory of the missible may be caused to pass through the point 4b occupied by the actual target.

Referring now more specifically to Figs. 3 to 5, I have here shown an actual embodiment of means whereby the foregoing may be accom plished. The base plate on which, for example, will be reproduced a map of the terrain on which the various stations are located, is indicated by the ordinal 9, and mounted at the location occupied by the projection device is a fixed base member ID secured rigidly t the plate 9 on which is rotatably supported a member H. The latter is provided with a shaft 12 which extends through the .base 10 and plate 9, and which may be connected with the adjustment means for the beat frequency oscillator with suitable mechanical means by which the various components of the system are coordinated. The members l and H are provided with indicia l2a and l2b by which the azimuth of the setting of this element may be determined.

The member H is provided with a Vertically disposed guide means l3 in which is slidably supported a rod 14, the latter carrying a movable head IS. The head 15 also carries a depending rack [6 which is in mesh with a pinion IT. The pinion I1 is carried on one end of a stub shaft I8 journalled in a bracket I9. To the other end of the stub shaft i8 is secured a conical spool 20 serrated on its periphery to provide a fixed path for the winding thereon of a cable 21. It will be observed that rotation of the stub shaft [8 by means of a spool 20 resulting in a rotation of the pinion I! will cause vertical adjustment of the rack 16 and accordingly vertical adjustment of the head IS with respect to the base H.

Journalled in the head I is a shaft 22, one end of which is adapted to be connected to the adjustment knob of a beat frequency oscillator, and the other end of which carries a drum 23 provided with indicia 24. The drum 23 is provided with an opening therethrough in which is slidably mounted a rod 25 constituting a reach member. It will be observed that the indicia 24 on the drum 23, in conjunction with the pointer 26 on the head I5, will serve to indicate the elevation of the arm 25. The arm 25 is, by means of a ball and socket joint 27, at its upper end, connected to the plate 28 of a proto-target similar to the proto-target 4 of my above-identified oopending application. Adjacent the universal joint 21, the rod 25 carries a pin 29 to which is secured the flexible cable 2! which, after being led around sheaves 3| and 32 respectively carried by brackets 33 and 34 mounted on the drum 23 and head 15 respectively, is trained about the spool 20.

From the foregoing, it will be observed that as the rod 25 is moved parallel to its own axis through the drum 23, the cable 2| will cause rotation of the spool 20 and correspondingly a vertical adjustment of the head I5 with respect to the base ll. As the rod '25 is extended, i. e. as the proto-target is moved farther away from the location of the gun, the head I5 will be depressed below the base H by an amount such as to compensate for the vertical drop of the trajectory of the gun with respect to its line of sight.

It will be observed that the spool 20, or more accurately the effective diameter thereof upon which the cable 2| is wound is generally in the form of a cone. This arrangement is provided so that there may be a proper relationship between the amount of extension of the rod 25 with respect to the axis of the drum 23 and the amount by which the head I5 is depressed above the base II.

It will be observed that by simply varying the form of the spool 20 it will be possible to secure any desired relationship between the amount of movement of the rod 25 with respect to its supporting drum and the amount of movement of the head l5 with respect to the base H. In this connection, it may be well to point out that generally it will be desirable to arrange the parts in such a way that the axis of the shaft 22 is tangent to the face of the sheaves 3i and 32 about which the cable 2| is trained.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed, change being made as regards the details described, provided the features stated in any of the following claims or the equivalent of such be employed.

I, therefore, particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of first and second members, movable relatively to each other, a reach member carried by and extensible to various positions with respect to a reference point on one of said first and second members, and means for maintaining a predetermined relation between said first and second members variable with respect to the amount of extension of said reach member with respect to said reference point.

2. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of first and second members, movable relatively to each other, a reach member rotatably supported by and extensible to vari ous positions with respect to a reference point on one of said first and second members, and means for maintaining a predetermined relation between said first and second members variable with respect to the amount of extension of said reach member with respect to said reference point.

3. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of a first member, a second member movable relatively to said first member, a reach member carried by and extensible to various positions with respect to a reference point on said second member and means for maintaining a predetermined relation between said first and second members variable with respect to the amount of extension of said reach member with respect to said reference point.

4. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of a first member, a second member movable relatively to said first member, a reach member rotatably supported by and extensible to various positions with respect to a reference point on said second member and means for maintaining a predetermined relation between said first and second members variable with respect to the amount of extension of said reach member with respect to said reference point.

5. In apparatus of the character described, the combination with a first member, a second member movable relatively to said first member and a reach member carried by and extensible to various positions with respect to a reference point on said second member, of means for maintainme i iiiJiVitN l3:

ing a predetermined relation between said first and second members variable with respect to the amount of extension of said reach member, said means comprising an adjustable rigid connection between said first and second members, and means functionally responsive to variations in the relative positions of said first and second members for varying the adjustment of said rigid connection.

6. In apparatus of the character described, the combination with a substantially horizontal plane member, an azimuth indicating member rotatably supported on a vertical axis on said plane member, an elevation indicating member rotatably supported on a horizontal axis carried by said azimuth member, extensible line of sight indicating means carried by said elevation indicating member, and means functionally responsive to the degree of extension of said line of sight member for correspondingly varying the distance between said horizontal axis and said plane member.

7. In a device for adjusting the quadrant angle of departure of a projectile so as to compensate for the curvature of the trajectory of said projectile with respect to the line of sight from a gun to a target, the combination of a prototarget, a proto-gun-mount, a proto-ground plane, an extensible member connecting said proto-gunmount to said proto-target, means operated by the extension of said extensible member to depress the said proto-gun-mount with respect to the said proto-ground plane, and means for indicating the angle between the proto-ground plane and the line joining the depressed protogun-mount with the proto-target.

JOHN J. MOYNIHAN. 

